Recollection
by NoSaviour
Summary: Sasuke is back, but he doesn't remember anything. On the contrary, Sakura remembers everything. As his former teammate takes care of him, will he start to gain back his memories?
1. The Blinding Sun

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Recollection**: Sasuke is back, but he doesn't remember anything. On the contrary, Sakura remembers _everything._ As his former teammate takes care of him, will he start to gain back his memories?

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**Recollection**

1. The Blinding Sun

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"Sakura, I don't think it's wise." The pale blonde woman pursed her lips. A frown etched on her smooth forehead.

"Tsunade-sama, I could handle this." Her most beloved student spoke determinedly. "Plus, it will be of most benefit for him if I become his caretaker."

"Yes, _but,"_ Tsunade's frown deepened. "There will be no benefits for _you._"

The pink-haired medic swallowed thickly, unable to respond.

"I just don't want to see you hurt, is all." The Head Medic sighed, expressing a myriad of sad emotions.

"Please," Sakura pleaded, and her eyes were glassy and twinkling under the hospital lights. "I want to do this."

She never said she _can _do it, but Tsunade sighed again, this time with reluctant approval.

. . .

"Hello."

A curt nod replied her. Uchiha Sasuke had lost his memories, but even without them, he continued to be indifferent and cold.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and I will be taking care of you." She extended her hand, and to her relief and surprise, he took it, albeit unsurely.

His hand, contrasting the cold colour of his skin and demeanor, was warm. It had been so long to feel any warmth of Sasuke, and her heart welled up in tears. This time, she will keep his warmth intact.

"I am a doctor, so I'll be looking over your physical conditions," she explained as the two walked in the daylight, over to her apartment. "I will also give you any other support you may need." Here, she paused and vaguely thought, _'Like helping you bring back your memories,'_ though she wasn't sure if she wanted him to remember.

"Oh, and you will be staying at my place for a while because the Uchiha mansion – that's your home – is currently under construction." She turned her head back to check if he was listening, and found her heart go still.

The sunlight was shining from his back, and his face was completely masked with shadows.

. . .

_Flashback, nine-years old._

"_Come on, Sakura," the cheerful blonde girl pulled her new best friend along. "I'll show you the Yamanaka shop, and there are so many flowers, you'll see!"_

_The sun was bright, the breezes were warm and soft, and it seemed like the most perfect summer day. The sunlight gave Ino a dazzling glow about her, and a surge of envy and admiration swept inside little Sakura._

_Abruptly, her friend stopped and took in a sharp gasp. A little raven-haired boy was walking their way._

_Sakura squinted her eyes at his face, the face of the boy that made her best friend gasp, but the sun was shining behind him. With the intense light source blinding Sakura's vision, she only made out his small figure. _

_Unknowingly, her tiny mouth opened slightly in awe, and upon hearing Ino whisper, "He looks like an angel," Sakura found herself nodding._

_She was completely entranced._

_It was, indeed, a perfect summer day._

_. . ._

"Haruno-san?"

The deep voice brought her back to reality. She flushed upon realizing she had been dazedly staring at him, lost in the world of her memories…

Wait, had he just called her "Haruno-san?" The pink-haired medic was tempted to laugh, because the Sasuke with the memories would never call her that. But then, her humour was instantly shot down, because a pang of pain coursed through her.

The two were back to square one, perhaps even further back, and their distance seemed a million miles away.

Forcing a smile, Sakura breathed out, "Call me Sakura." There might have been a tinge of command, but to her, it sounded more like a plea.

"And you'll call me…?" Sasuke questioned, and he was so foreign to her. Everyone knew she had called him "Sasuke-kun." Everyone, and especially him.

But of course, he no longer remembered that.

"May I call you Sasuke?" She wanted to strip all formalities, and yet, underneath it all, there it still was: formality, the distance between the two.

After a nod, his former teammate continued to lead him to her apartment.

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**Notes**: Oh dear, another new inspiration... Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Unfinished Ramen

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Recollection**: Sasuke is back, but he doesn't remember anything. On the contrary, Sakura remembers _everything._ As his former teammate takes care of him, will he start to gain back his memories?

* * *

**Recollection**

2. Unfinished Ramen

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The two moved about wordlessly, each working on their personal jobs. For instance, Sasuke prepared a makeshift bed in the living room while Sakura hurriedly cooked their lunch. From the kitchen, she saw him in her living room (now it was _theirs)_, and a little sigh escaped her. Without the contempt in his eyes, he looked like he belonged here.

Perhaps that was just her wish.

"Sasuke?" She hesitantly called him over as she set two plates on the small table. She had cooked a Japanese-style meal, consisting simply of rice, miso soup, and pickled plums.

He hadn't flinched when she had abruptly destroyed their silence. But he looked stiffened, as if he was unsure of what to do. Upon seeing her gesture toward their meal, he walked over slowly, calmly.

And then they sat in silence, ate in silence, and watched each other (secretly) in silence.

As Sakura took a sip of her miso soup, she peeked at the man sitting before her. To her alarm, his bangs were falling, partially casting his eyes away from her view, and she remembered…

. . .

_Flashback, twelve-years old._

"_Sakura-chan, the pork miso-based ramen is the best!"_

"_Nah, I'll take the Soyu base…" Sakura mumbled casually as she peeked at what Sasuke was getting. When the ramen was served, she stifled a giggle as she focused more intently on watching her teammate than eating her ramen._

_His bangs were falling down, but she still made out his eyes. Slowly, heat rushed into her face as she couldn't help but stare at him in awe. Since the day they had become teammates, she had thought he was cool, but for this time, she saw something else._

_He looked beautiful._

_Uchiha Sasuke, eating his ramen, with his eyes somewhat hidden and cast below, looked mesmerizing. Up until now, Sakura had thought "beautiful" was supposed to describe females only. The boy sitting before her proved her wrong._

_For a few minutes, she sat there, unaware of her ramen or her noisy blonde teammate. Her eyes only rested dazedly on the beautiful twelve-year old boy._

"_Hey, Sakura-chan! Aren't you going to eat that?" _

_She snapped back to reality, and was about to reply, "Don't touch my food, Naruto!" At least, that's what she would have said, but then she realized she wasn't so hungry, after all._

_And as her surroundings became clear, along with her mind, she came upon a huge disappointment. She had been so obviously gawking at him, but he had not once gazed to meet his eyes. He must have awfully disliked her rude stare._

. . .

The pang of nostalgia died away as Sasuke abruptly stood up to put his dishes away. He had already finished eating. She looked down to her forgotten rice, painfully reminding her of that once forgotten bowl of ramen.

Sighing, she stood up as well, mumbling a "I'm not hungry" when Sasuke cast her a curious look toward her unfinished rice. She packed it away, in hopes that she would get hungry later.

And then, as Sakura made her way to the sink, she realized how wrong she had been. Uchiha Sasuke did not look like he belonged here, at all.

Leaving the dirty dishes unattended, she reached instead for a pot to boil water for some coffee or tea. Sasuke stood there awkwardly, as if he was trying to offer his help on something, anything. Smiling gently, Sakura went back to the petit table and motioned him over.

Wordlessly, he sat again, and with a grave voice, she took out a notepad and questioned formally, starting with, "Can you tell me anything you remember?"

In between pausing for preparation of their tea, and the required questioning (even if that had been done by the interrogation squad previously), Sakura had learned that Sasuke had no memories. He failed to remember his team, his family, places and people…

By the end of the short questioning, Sakura almost laughed at the irony. Here, she didn't want to remember, yet memories came flooding in without control, while he couldn't remember a single thing. And, it was her job that she had taken upon herself to make him remember.

At least, when he couldn't remember, he also wouldn't leave her. She feared that once his memories came back, that would be the very thing he would do again – leave her.

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**Notes**: Thank you readers & reviewers! I hope it's not boring... I want to try to write a memory per chapter, but if it becomes redundant, please let me know! (Although I suppose two short chapters are far too little to make any judgments at the moment..)


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